Formerly conjoined McDonald twins finally go home

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Photos:Conjoined twins separated: New life, apart

Anias, left, and Jadon McDonald were born conjoined at the head, something only seen in 1 out of every 2.5 million live births. They were separated in a 27-hour surgery at the Children's Hospital at Montefiore Medical Center in New York in October.

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Photos:Conjoined twins separated: New life, apart

Nicole and Christian McDonald talk with Dr. Sanjay Gupta in the family waiting area on October 13 as a team worked to separate Jadon and Anias. "When we sent them off this morning, to me, I felt at peace with it and just ready to handle what comes after," Nicole said.

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Photos:Conjoined twins separated: New life, apart

Dr. James Goodrich Goodrich, left, leads a surgical team as they prepared to separate the twins. "Failure is not an option," Goodrich told the team as they got started.

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Photos:Conjoined twins separated: New life, apart

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Photos:Conjoined twins separated: New life, apart

The twins' surgery was Goodrich's longest craniopagus surgery. It's meticulous, tricky and complex: A single cut too deep can lead to catastrophic bleeding.

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Photos:Conjoined twins separated: New life, apart

Goodrich's team worked more than 16 hours just to separate the boys, and each continued surgery individually afterward.

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Photos:Conjoined twins separated: New life, apart

Newly separated twins Anias, left, and Jadon in surgery at the hospital. Goodrich informed the family of the successful separation at about 3 a.m. October 14. "Well, we did it," he told them. When it was official, the room burst into spontaneous applause.

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Photos:Conjoined twins separated: New life, apart

Jadon recovers in the pediatric intensive care unit shortly after the surgery.

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Photos:Conjoined twins separated: New life, apart

Anias returns to his room after his head dressing was changed.

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Photos:Conjoined twins separated: New life, apart

Jadon stretches his arms in his room within the hospital's pediatric intensive care unit. Anias rests in a nearby bed in the same room.

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Photos:Conjoined twins separated: New life, apart

Anias, left, stares at Jadon for the first time since the surgery that separated them.

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Photos:Conjoined twins separated: New life, apart

Nicole McDonald, right, and her mother, Chris Grosso, with Anias in mid-November. Anias had to have his skull cap removed due to infection, but doctors say they are still pleased with his recovery.

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Photos:Conjoined twins separated: New life, apart

Anias, left, and Jadon lie in a red wagon at the Children's Hospital at Montefiore Medical Center on December 13 as they prepare for the next stage of their journey, two months after their surgery.

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Photos:Conjoined twins separated: New life, apart

The family was headed to the hospital's banquet hall on December 13, where surgical and pediatric intensive care staff members were gathered for a farewell party.

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Photos:Conjoined twins separated: New life, apart

Dr. Oren Tepper, the twins' lead plastic surgeon, holds a thank you gift from the McDonald family presented to him at the farewell party.

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Photos:Conjoined twins separated: New life, apart

Nicole McDonald holds Anias as his twin brother, Jadon, sleeps in the bed to the left. The twins' older brother, Aza, watches television at the hospital from one of the boys' beds shortly before they left for rehab.

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Photos:Conjoined twins separated: New life, apart

Jadon, left, and Anias McDonald look up at hospital staff as they leave their room at Montefiore Children's Hospital in New York. Their older brother, Aza, proudly sits at the front of the wagon. It was mid-December and they were headed to rehab.

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Photos:Conjoined twins separated: New life, apart

Nicole McDonald pushes a stroller with Anias as her husband Christian pushes Jadon down a hallway on June 14 at Blythedale Children's Hospital in Valhalla, New York, where the boys have been rehabilitating.

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Photos:Conjoined twins separated: New life, apart

Anias plays with a toy while laying on a mat in his room at Blythedale Children's Hospital.

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Photos:Conjoined twins separated: New life, apart

Jadon eats small snacks and drinks from a sippy cup on his own, major progress since he first moved to rehab.

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Photos:Conjoined twins separated: New life, apart

Nicole McDonald plays with her son Anias as Christian McDonald holds Jadon on a playground outside Blythedale Children's Hospital.

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Photos:Conjoined twins separated: New life, apart

Nicole McDonald holds Jadon while looking over discharge information on September 1, as they prepare to leave the rehab facility and head home as a family for the first time.

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Photos:Conjoined twins separated: New life, apart

Nicole McDonald takes Anias into the family's new house for the first time with his older brother, Aza.

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Photos:Conjoined twins separated: New life, apart

Christian McDonald holds his son Anias as Nicole McDonald checks on Jadon at home with the family dogs, Taz and Tyson.

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Story highlights

The once-conjoined twins returned home Friday evening for the first time

Valhalla, New York (CNN)Jadon and Anias McDonald, the once-conjoined twins who underwent marathon separation surgery in October, returned home Friday evening for the first time. One of their physical therapists called it the "first step in a wonderful life."

The return marked an arduous and sometimes tenuous journey for the boys who went through nine months of intense therapy at Blythedale Children's Hospital here and staved off infections that sent them to the intensive care unit.

Forparents Nicole and Christian McDonald, having the boys home was the thrill of a lifetime. Nicole gingerly pulled Anias out of his car seat and carried him into their home.

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As Christian carried Jadon up the front stairs, his dad pointed out new siding and other renovation handiwork. "I put you in a new window, Jadon, so you can have a clear view," Christian said. "This is it. This is your home."

Nicole earlier summed up the moment: "I can't believe we're actually going to be a family. I can't believe we're actually going to have everybody here in one spot, separate. "

The boys were 13 months old when they were separated in a 27-hour surgery. They will turn 2 years old on September 9.

Developmentally, the surgery set them back to infancy. Jadon has progressed largely on track. He's begun pulling up on furniture and walking sideways with the aid of furniture.

Anias has struggled the most, both before and after the surgery. When they were joined at the head, Jadon was more dominant, his body working overtime to keep Anias alive.

He is fed via a feeding pump and needs help from a breathing machine when he sleeps. But Anias has shown tremendous strides, too. He can roll from side to side and can come into sitting positions. He says things like "Uh-oh," and when Nicole finishes reading him a book, he says, "The end."

He's also begun using his right hand almost as much as his left. When Anias first entered rehab, he had almost no use of his right side. "He has all the same drives as Jadon, which is incredibly encouraging," Nicole said. "He just needs more time."

Maureen Carroll, Anias's physical therapist at Blythedale, said she's been thrilled to see his progression over the past nine months. He couldn't handle more than a one- to two-minute session when he first arrived and now is actively engaged for 45 minutes. He's also gone from being afraid of people to a child who "wants to interact with the world."

"It's amazing," Carroll said. "I think every physical therapist would love to be in my place, treating such a wonderful child and being able to see the progress."

Mara Abrams, the physical therapist who worked with Jadon, agreed, saying the boys leaving the hospital was a monumental moment in their development. "The first step in a wonderful life is about to happen," Abrams said. "It's just so great that the hospitalization is over."

Nicole came to the hospital early in the day to load up stuffed animals, toys and other keepsakes from the boys' hospital room. By late afternoon, she returned along with Christian and their 4-year-old son, Aza.

The moment had finally arrived.

Unlike their red carpet sendoff from the Children's Hospital at Montefiore Medical Center in December, Friday's departure was more low-key. Mom and Dad signed paperwork and put the boys in a double umbrella stroller. Jadon wore a white helmet with a red Velcro strap; Anias had a helmet with a blue stripe.

Nurses bid them goodbye.

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The family then strolled down the hallway and out the front of the hospital. "We're out of this joint," Dad told his boys.

Jadon and Anias were then placed in their car seats, ready for their ride home. It was the first time everyone rode together as a family -- separate but still whole.